Untitled
by kaliaisvell
Summary: The war was over and the living left behind. I watched it all from a distance, seeing my people and the men of the West at the Black Gate. My duty was to find my brother among the dead and return home, but taking care of the fallen became another when they took care of their own. They were my people and it gave me satisfaction knowing that an exile was giving them the final rites.


Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the great J.R.R. Tolkien. I only own my OC's

 **Note:** I am a little nervous posting this before any of the main stories, but figured why not. Better to test the waters before jumping in. This came to be while I was fleshing out an Easterling OC and for a story contest on LoTR amino.

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They did not deserve death rites nor did they deserve death in battle. Yet, I took it upon myself to ensure their bodies burned and pray that their spirits remained for many torturous years. It was unclear as to where mortals went after death, but if our spirits did go somewhere…Then I could only hope that most of the men here went to a terrible place. Dying in front of the black gate and taking as many of the enemy soldiers into death's embrace must have filled them with pride, fighting for what they all thought was right, believing that it was the correct path and not seeing possibilities. As for me….In the past I would have fought alongside my people -Easterlings as the Free people named us - Eager to conquer in Sauron's name and enslave all. Much like the changing of seasons, people change, though for better or worse, is debatable and subjective. I wanted no part in it, not after they left me for dead ten years prior to the war. If my horse, Cheveyo, had not been there, death would have claimed me. And we never would have been found by Yusraa, the old basket weaver.

She should have just left me alone, to die from the wounds that had been inflicted upon me when I defied the warlord of the Balchoth tribe and lived out the rest of her years in peace as the ill-tempered elder. No, she had to do the right thing and save my life, leaving me indebted to her. I repaid by repairing the house, hunting for food and assisting in trading with the merchants that came in and out of Dorwinion. Only one good thing came from Yusraa's help and it was the birth of my daughter, Nasan. Energetic and always smiling.

Sighing, I gazed out at the empty field saturated in blood as my thoughts returned to the present. It would take many years for it to flourish once more after being held in the grips of darkness longer than any mortal could fathom - and that was if it was ever beautiful. It was just two weeks ago that the two sides fought and light broke through the evil of Mordor. Sauron defeated, to never come back. I witnessed the collapse of the Black Gate, the Towers of Teeth and the Dark Tower of Barad-dur. Saw the eagles flying above and entering what was left of the dark land in search of something. What was left of the host split apart, some staying while others fled like mice from cats. From a distance I observed, waiting for the opportune moment to get closer and find my brother among the dead before returning to the outskirts of Dorwinion, to live out the rest of my years fishing and raising Nasan. That was before I made the decision to deal with the bodies of the fallen after watching the men of the West take care of their dead.

With the help of Nasan, we were able to strip the bodies of armor and pile them up in preparation to be burned. With the exception of the orcs and other dark creatures, I took care of them on my own and placed them in a separate pile to be burned. The armor and weapons of my people were to be sold upon returning home. All that we needed now was oil and some cloth, which Nasan went to retrieve while I waited in our makeshift camp.

Movement in the distance caught my attention. "Nasan tüünii tsag bolson…(1)" The rest of the sentence did not spill past my lips as I noticed that there were two horses approaching instead of one. Upon recognizing the smaller rider on the horse, relief flooded through my body in seeing that she was not harmed in anyway - but that did not mean that I should trust the stranger riding next to her. Grabbing my recurve bow in my left hand, I retrieved a single arrow from the quiver, notched and ready to be released. I waited in anticipation, ready to shoot the stranger.

"Peace. I only wish to speak" The man called out as he came closer astride a brown horse, slowing to a trot before stopping near a piece of the Black Gate. He let go of the reigns in order to hold both hands up. A man of the west, judging by his appearance: clean shaven, shoulder length brown hair and grey eyes that held wisdom. He wore light leather armor that had seen a lot of travel and a sword at his side. "I mean you, nor your daughter, any harm"

That only made me lift the bow and pull back. "If you wish us no harm, then why come now?" No one approached after I made my presence known by letting loose an arrow as a warning when one of the footmen of the west attempted to touch an enemy soldier. An old man in white stopped them from coming after me, for which I was grateful.

"He speaks the truth, Eej ni(2)" Chimed in Nasan as she trotted over on Cheveyo and dismounted. She placed a hand on my arm, and I sighed through my nose and lowered the bow. I removed the arrow and placed it back into the quiver on the ground along with the bow. "Tüünd sons.(3)" She whispered, dark eyes pleading that I do so. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I gently squeezed before nodding, telling her that I would listen to the man.

"Wait here. Once I am done speaking with him, we shall prepare for the fires" With that said, I approached the man and stood before him, motioning for him to speak before placing my hands on my hips.

He offered a smile as he dismounted, keeping a hand on his horse's neck. "I would have come sooner, but there were many things that needed to be done in Gondor. Along with riding out here alone without my companions. They believe that the enemy, no matter who, is still an enemy"

I scoffed at his words. Who was he that an escort was needed? A noble perhaps, which made it even more of a joke to me. Word must have spread about some strange woman near Mordor and this one noble wanted to see if it was true or not. It made me feel exposed, like some exotic creature on display. "Get on with it then. I do not have the patience to deal with a man of the west"

The smile faded as he stood up even straighter. "From your first appearance and the reports of my men, you are of the East. My reason for approaching you is to talk about peace between the East and the West." As he spoke, he turned slightly in order to reach into the pack tied to the saddle and retrieved a sealed scroll. "We have plans to speak with the people of Ha-"

My hand went up to silence him before that sentence was completed. I had heard enough and wanted no part in it. Refusing to take the offered scroll, I crossed my arms and took a step back. Even if I accepted it, nothing would come of it, since I am considered dead to my people. What use would a ghost be when it came to these kinds of politics? The moment they saw me, I would be struck down like a bird from the sky and Nasan would be left alone. He opened his mouth to speak again and no words came out when I sucked in air through my teeth, making a noise to show that he was to remain quiet. "Your king is either a fool or wise in seeking out peace with the enemy. More a fool than a wise man, they will not accept peace. I cannot help with the remaining Easterling tribes"

His outstretched hand lowered, grey eyes never leaving mine as he listened. Processing my words and hopefully the advice I was going to give him. "There are no such things as monsters." If he understood and passed it along to the king, then they would know it was a foolish endeavor to make peace with the tribes of the East. Especially where the region of the Sea of Rhun was concerned. "I grew up in the desert, where there are no shadows to provide shelter, no dark thickets or riverbanks, no place where monsters could dwell. Nothing. I never learned to fear eerie things that lurked in the dark. The only thing to fear in the desert are people. For it is they who wage war amongst each other, shed the blood of their kin and never tell the truth. Hiding behind masks and spouting lies."

Inclining my head forward a bit in a sign of farewell, I turned to make my way to Nasan, signaling that there was nothing more to say, nor did I want to hear his response. It was not important and did not warrant my attention. Fools, all of them. If it was not for Göktîg, my brother, we would still be at home, not dealing with the dead and talking to messengers of an unknown king. Muttering a string of curses in my native tongue, I paused to turn slightly, watching as the man had already mounted his horse and was leaving the cursed land. "Nasan, let us prepare"

"You were mean to him" she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice as she approached with an armful of white cloth and a bottle of oil. Rolling my eyes at her statement, I ruffled her dark hair before relieving her of the items. "Can we visit him in the white city? He has funny friends and they tell interesting stories. Some of them are Hobbits, we do not have those at home"

"Refusing and giving advice is not mean, just indifferent." As for her question, that was something that needed some thought. Hobbits? What were those? Correction, _who_ were they? I would have to ask her later, they sounded like some type of dessert, if they weren't living, breathing people. Nasan huffed at my silence and followed behind. "After we are finished, we will have a discussion about your trip into the white city"

"Yes, Eej ni" Nasan mumbled and that was rare for an energetic child of only ten winters. It only betrayed her thoughts and I shook my head. She was going to be chastised after I warned her many times to not speak with anyone of the West, only the merchants. It seemed that something had occured and caused her to meet the messenger and his friends. Odd that they would be friendly to a young child from the East. A tale that would prove entertaining during our return trip home.

It did not take long for us to cover the mound of bodies with the white cloth and douse it with oil before setting it on fire. The stench of burning flesh permeated the area. We watched as the flames eagerly devoured the cloth and the bodies underneath. Its glow cast shadows onto the ground, almost guiding the ashes of the fallen to land there. Holding Nasan's hand, we stood silent and still as statues. If this was a formal burial rite, we would have our faces painted with black markings around our eyes and wear bells around our wrists, so that as we went through the slow movements, the sound would scare the spirits away from the living and let them move on. There were no painted faces or chiming of bells for this rite. Bare faces warmed by the flames, the glow casting shadows that moved on the ground – like a mockery of our shadows.

Her hand squeezed mine and I glanced down. "Will this land grow?"

"I do not know. Maybe when we are long gone and the children of our children will witness the birth of a new land during the future years" One could only hope, but with the stench of darkness surrounding the land, it may never change, forever existing as a dark place that many would know as a forbidden land. Stories of Sauron and the war would surround it. If life did grow, then the land would have been cleansed and could be reborn for the children. The name Mordor lost in time and renamed.

"Is uncle there? In the fire?"

"Yes." I lied.

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Translations:

1\. Nasan took her time in

2\. Mother

3\. Listen to him


End file.
